Prior to and during an operation of a patient placed on the patient support, the patient support is brought to a position which facilitates a surgical intervention on the patient. In order to do so, pivoting of the patient support by large angles may be required. Also the height of the operating table's patient support should be adjustable within a range as wide as possible. The operating table ideally further allows for very small heights of the patient support, which requires compact construction of the operating table column.
The following three different types of operating tables are typically used in hospitals: stationary operating tables, movable operating and mobile operating tables. Stationary operating tables have an operating table column permanently fixed to the floor of an operating room and normally do not comprise an operating table base, and energy is supplied to them via fixedly installed cables. With these stationary operating tables, the patient support can easily be detached and re-attached and is transportable by means of a dedicated transport apparatus. With this transport apparatus, a patient resting on the patient support can be transported to and away from the operating room.
Movable operating tables have an operating table base connected to the operating table column an allowing for free positioning in the operating room, and a patient support which can be detached from and re-attached to the operating table column. Moving of the operating table column is performed by means of a column transporter provided therefore, or, in the case of self-mobile movable operating tables, by means of incorporated extractable transport rollers.
Operating table bases of mobile operating tables include rollers for moving the operating table such that they can be moved without auxiliary means and are suited for transporting a patient. Further, with mobile operating tables, the patient support usually is fixedly coupled to the operating table column and is not separated from the operating table column in hospital practice. Mobile operating tables may further employ electric traction drives, in particular including soft start and safety brake function, in order to move the mobile operating table by means of the electric traction drive.
Energy supply of movable operating tables and mobile operating tables can be accomplished via accumulator batteries which are preferably integrated in the operating table, and in particular are arranged in the operating table column base or in the operating table column.
Stationary operating tables as well as movable operating tables or mobile operating tables may employ components which can be adjusted by means of an electric motor, such as an operating table column which is length adjustable by means of an electric motor for height variation of a patient support attached to the operating table column, an operating table column head which is adjustable about two orthogonal axes for variation of tilt and swing of the patient support connected to the operating table column head, and/or components of the patient support that can be adjusted by means of an electric motor.
Herein, tilt means pivoting the patient support about a rotational axis which is orthogonal to a vertical plane in which the patient support's longitudinal axis extends. Swing refers to pivoting the patient support about the longitudinal axis thereof, or about a rotational axis parallel to the patient support's longitudinal axis and extending in a vertical plane including the patient support's longitudinal axis. In case there is no patient support connected to the column head of the operating table column, the definitions of tilt and swing relate to adjustments of the column head as would occur with a patient support attached.
From document DE 10 2011 000 628 A1 an operating table column is known comprising three actuators for adjusting swing and tilt. The mechanical construction thereof is rather complicated and requires much construction space. Rigidity and freedom from play of the tilt function are adversely influenced by the rotatable tilt cylinder. The kinematic coupling between the swing and tilt functions leads to interference of these functions.
From document DE 196 23 580 C2 a lifting column is known comprising three vertical lifting cylinders for adjusting a patient support.